EQMOD, WORTH GETTING?

[bcfcciderhead]

Been thinking about getting EQmod running my EQ5, but unsure of how it works and what i will need.

I believe it "talks" with for example, Stellarium which you use to find an object you wish to view, this is how i use my scope at present but via the Skywatcher handset.

So what are the advantages of EQmod?

How do i perform a 2 star alignment, use the handset first? or use Stellarium via EQmod?

If you use Stellarium i guess this must be better as finding the alignment stars should be easier to find, the list on the hand controller drives me mad as i cant find 90% of them:o

How does a xbox game pad work with it?, will i need to buy something else to have this?

So in a nut shell, is this better and more user friendly then connecting my laptop with Stellarium via the Skywatcher hand controller?

and will i need to buy anything else then just the EQmod adapter (like flo have)?

Dont mind spending the £50 for this if it's better.

My setup this will be on is EQ5 PRO SYN SCAN MOUNT (fully goto)

[chrisshillito]

I would suggest you vist the EQMOD Project website. Read the introduction/overview pages and the documentation and FAQs. You will find most of your questions are covered in some detail. There are also a stack of video tutorials on youtube that may help you understand how EQMOD works.

Chris.

[steelfixer]

If you change to EQMOD you will never look back. I have this running my EQ5 in my obs and I can honestly say it was the best move I ever made.

I run mine through the astrotec usb box of tricks so I do not have to use the handset as it plugs directly into the mount.

I use a wireless gamepad on mine so I can slew the scope whilst walking about the obs.

The other advantage is you can adjust all manner of settings from the control panel.

To set it up after you polar align click on a star in stellairium slew the scope to the star, then using the gamepad you can fine tune the alignment.

Once it is in the center of the EP you click on the sync button and it sets it in the memory,repeat for as many stars as you wish, the more stars you sync into the memory the better as Eq will start to triangulate any new target using the mapped stars which is brilliant for locating DSOs and the like.

If you then decide to get into guiding then it will also allow you to make adjustments to fine tune your mount to a programe like PHD.

The other things it will do is an endless list that I have yet to find the end of and I have been using it for nearly a year now.

So my advice is a definate yes to using it.

Hope it helps

Graham

[Black Knight]

Go for it Dave. I use EQMod without an obsy, and I think it's great.

[Bizibilder]

Another vote for EQMOD - far more functionality than any commercial mount (within reason!). if you set up outside it even has a nifty and easy polar alignment routine. The only difference with my set up is that I use Cartes du Ceil with extra catalogues so I can goto any star down to mag 17. The wireless gamepad is a brilliant tool as is the "spoken" commands that you hear when slewing or changing manual slew speeds.

[Black Knight]

Been thinking about getting EQmod running my EQ5, but unsure of how it works and what i will need.

I believe it "talks" with for example, Stellarium which you use to find an object you wish to view, this is how i use my scope at present but via the Skywatcher handset.

So what are the advantages of EQmod?

How do i perform a 2 star alignment, use the handset first? or use Stellarium via EQmod?

If you use Stellarium i guess this must be better as finding the alignment stars should be easier to find, the list on the hand controller drives me mad as i cant find 90% of them:o

How does a xbox game pad work with it?, will i need to buy something else to have this?

So in a nut shell, is this better and more user friendly then connecting my laptop with Stellarium via the Skywatcher hand controller?

and will i need to buy anything else then just the EQmod adapter (like flo have)?

Dont mind spending the £50 for this if it's better.

My setup this will be on is EQ5 PRO SYN SCAN MOUNT (fully goto)

I find CdC a better fit with EQMod than Stellarium to be honest, but it's a matter of preference really.

WRT an xbox controller, I already had a wireless PC dongle for the Xbox controller, so that was no problem. However, the DPad on the Xbox controller is rubbish (as all Xbox users will know), and using it for RA/Dec movement is an exercise in pure frustration. So an alternative controller may be a better bet anyway .

No, you don't need to perform an alignment with the Synscan hand controller. It's much easier to perform an alignment with EQMod. After you've run through EQMods PA routine, just select the stars you wish to align with in Stellarium/CdC, and the mount slews there. Centre up the star and sync it in Stellarium/CdC, and Bobs your mothers brother . You can sync as many or few stars for alignment as you want.

[Euan]

If you change to EQMOD you will never look back

It's so good you will lob the handset straight in the bin where it belongs

[Black Knight]

It's so good you will lob the handset straight in the bin where it belongs

Indeed. I haven't used mine since.

[r3i]

Question: EQMOD - Worth Getting? Answer: Yes: next question:)

Seriously, Chris Shillito and his colleagues have put together an impressive piece of software that transforms a good mount into an excellent one. I'm not being sycophantic here - it's a fact.

[bcfcciderhead]

Well i'm sold EQMOD it is

Will also try CDC as most of my searches says this works better with it.

If it makes for easy alignment then thats enough for me, not as i struggle to do a 2 star alignment its just that due to the list the handset gives me i use Stellarium to find the alignment star, so if i can do it via Stellarium/ cdc the better.

[Tribal-Wolf]

I'm curious as to whether this is available for Alz/az mounts?

[Ford Prefect]

I would suggest you vist the EQMOD Project website. Read the introduction/overview pages and the documentation and FAQs. You will find most of your questions are covered in some detail. There are also a stack of video tutorials on youtube that may help you understand how EQMOD works.

Chris.

The online Tutorials really are great, (thanks again for these Chris). Spend a couple of hours setting up in the daylight and you will never look back!!!

[swag72]

I was a bit of a ludite regarding EQMOD and kept using the handset as it all worked fine. Whenever any EQMOD threads came up I said that maybe it was that good, but I used the handset, it worked fine and didn't want to complicate matters. Then I decided to give it a go and see what the fuss was about.

It really is a great way to work. I have an obsy, so probably a little easier for me. But the scope parks in a set position so I can close the roof. Chris added a timer as well, so that now I can set it to home at a given time. The alignment is easy as well and the whole package with CdC works like a dream.

I always used Stellarium and found CdC rather clunky. But coupled with EQMOD, everything talks to each other and it works well

My only issue with it was when I tried to guide via EQASCOM instead of my ST4 port. That caused all sorts of issues, so I'm really not going to try that again!!!

I would definitely say to try it and then you can make an informed decision. I always thought there was a bit of a fan boy mentality when it came to EQMOD and that people just raved about it to be like everyone else. But in my opinion, and based on my reticence to use it, it's a fantastic piece of kit.

Well done to Chris and his team for making it all work so well!!

[Coco]

I was a bit of a ludite regarding EQMOD and kept using the handset as it all worked fine. Whenever any EQMOD threads came up I said that maybe it was that good, but I used the handset, it worked fine and didn't want to complicate matters. Then I decided to give it a go and see what the fuss was about.

It really is a great way to work. I have an obsy, so probably a little easier for me. But the scope parks in a set position so I can close the roof. Chris added a timer as well, so that now I can set it to home at a given time. The alignment is easy as well and the whole package with CdC works like a dream.

I always used Stellarium and found CdC rather clunky. But coupled with EQMOD, everything talks to each other and it works well

My only issue with it was when I tried to guide via EQASCOM instead of my ST4 port. That caused all sorts of issues, so I'm really not going to try that again!!!

I would definitely say to try it and then you can make an informed decision. I always thought there was a bit of a fan boy mentality when it came to EQMOD and that people just raved about it to be like everyone else. But in my opinion, and based on my reticence to use it, it's a fantastic piece of kit.

Well done to Chris and his team for making it all work so well!!

Sara..

I tried it last year with CDC, hated it so I tried Stellarium scope, hated that less but went back to a hand controller, I have a reasonable knowledge of the main stars in the sky so when I choose an alignment star I have an idea which one it is, everything I learned about EQMOD Ive now forgotten but I'll have another bash.

I have a morbid hatred for CDC so its stellarium for me or the hand set.

I might have had a decent bash at EQMOD had Stellarium Scope been better explained.

Is there a video for stellarium scope?

[barkis]

EQMOD Is probably the star of the freebie software you will find anywhere. A lot of work has gone into it, and I'm sure most of the Astro. community who use it, are indebted to the guys who are responsible for it's creation, and continued evolvement.

Not least of whom, is Chris Shillito. So many thanks from me, to you and the rest of the eqmod team.

I am still familiarising myself with it, but it is definitely a permanent

part of my setup for sure .

Ron.

[Black Knight]

EQMOD Is probably the star of the freebie software you will find anywhere. A lot of work has gone into it, and I'm sure most of the Astro. community who use it, are indebted to the guys who are responsible for it's creation, and continued evolvement.

Not least of whom, is Chris Shillito. So many thanks from me, to you and the rest of the eqmod team.

I am still familiarising myself with it, but it is definitely a permanent

part of my setup for sure .

Ron.

I echo this 100%. Hat's off you guys!

[jgs001]

In a word..

YES

go for it, you won't regret it... EQMOD is the starting point, then you can add all sorts of things on top of it... satellite tracking as one of the more peculiar options for instance.

[Black Knight]

Sara..

I tried it last year with CDC, hated it so I tried Stellarium scope, hated that less but went back to a hand controller, I have a reasonable knowledge of the main stars in the sky so when I choose an alignment star I have an idea which one it is, everything I learned about EQMOD Ive now forgotten but I'll have another bash.

I have a morbid hatred for CDC so its stellarium for me or the hand set.

I might have had a decent bash at EQMOD had Stellarium Scope been better explained.

Is there a video for stellarium scope?

I'm a big Stellarium fan as well, and absolutely hated CdC and couldn't find my way around it at all. Many times I gave up trying in frustration because I couldn't get to grips with it.

However, after trying EQMod first with Stellarium and then with CdC, I ended up using CdC for EQMod all the time. Although I still prefer Stellarium, CdC is for me the better bet when using EQMod. Just my opinion.

[chrisshillito]

For the benefit of those who are not already familiar with EQMOD I'd like to clarify a few things with regards to planetarium support.

EQMOD is an ASCOM driver which means it can be interfaced with any planetarium that provide inbuilt ASCOM support. There are plenty such planetariums out there such as CDC, HNSky, WinStars, Starry Night Pro etc. Applications such as Stellarium and TheSky fall into a different category as they do not provide native ASCOM support although by using third party interface programs it is possible to achieve a level of ASCOM suuport.

StellariumScope is the interface application we use to trick Stellarium into supporting ASCOM. Unfortunately telescope control was never at the heart of Stellarium when it was first desinged and as a conseqence the available interfaces are extremely limited. In order to provide the basic fuctionality of goto, position reporting, synching and emergeny stop StellariumScope has to pretend to be 3 separate scopes to Stellarium (which has no concept at all of synching or stopping!). The only method stellarium provides to initiate mount commands is via the rather clunky CTRL1 type keybord shortcut. The result is that ASCOM mount control from Stellarium is innevitably less intuitive and more complicated to set up than an ASCOM friendly app like CDC. There complexity introduced by the additional stellariumscope interface also means there is more that potentially 'can go wrong' and this is why we reccomend folks start off with EQMOD using CDC.

Once folks have had some experience/understanding of how CDC, EQMOD and ASCOM work it is much easier to progress to Stellarium and StellariumScope (and many do).

I'm not aware of a StellariumScope video but there comprehensive documentation available on the StellariumScope website (

www.welshdragoncomputing.ca/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=31&Itemid=39).

Chris.

[Parus major]

When I discovered Chris' polar alignment video I could have wept with joy.

[Parus major]

I'm a big Stellarium fan as well, and absolutely hated CdC and couldn't find my way around it at all. Many times I gave up trying in frustration because I couldn't get to grips with it.

However, after trying EQMod first with Stellarium and then with CdC, I ended up using CdC for EQMod all the time. Although I still prefer Stellarium, CdC is for me the better bet when using EQMod. Just my opinion.

I can see CdC is more techy looking but I hate the way it scrolls round. It's like those nasty 3D adventure games from the Sinclair Spectrum.

[chrisshillito]

You can drag/scroll with the mouse in CDC though it is a little awkward as you have to hold down the mouse wheel button whilst dragging.

When comparing CDC and stellarium folks should consider that they actually fullfil two distinct roles. Stellarium is a true planetarium and aims to give a realistic view of the sky whereas CDC is essentially a tool for generating star charts . Personally I find CDC a more useful tool given its ability to add custom catalogs etc. although like many folks I use both depending on what fits my requirements at the time. I can't say I undersand the Stellarium or nothing mentality as I would never want to compromise my practical astronomy for the sake of a pretty GUI.

Chris

[Parus major]

I do like the alignment process in CdC, no nonsense if you're using a plain laptop no mouse.

[Black Knight]

I do like the alignment process in CdC, no nonsense if you're using a plain laptop no mouse.

Yep, definitely easier in CdC.

[Carl83]

Hi everyone,

I've read this thread as I'm interested in doing this myself.

I have, on it's way to me, a 200p on an EQ5. This is just the mount without the motors etc and I'm aware I'll need to buy them to make it useable with EQmod

Can someone please tell me what I need as a list though please?

Do I need a sync scan controller etc or just the motors?

Thanks